


Never Change

by asiacore



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M, side!Ziam, squinty!Zarry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-02
Updated: 2013-01-02
Packaged: 2017-11-23 09:08:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/620457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asiacore/pseuds/asiacore
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Niall didn’t know much about Harry except that he snorted when he laughed and he had a habit of doing everything incredibly slowly, even when he was excited. He knew Harry had an older sister and that he was an Aquarius, “The water bearer,” Zayn had once commented while petting Harry’s head affectionately and Niall had frowned because, <em>who cares?</em></p>
            </blockquote>





	Never Change

**Author's Note:**

> This is all over the place. It was originally supposed to be ot5 but turned into Narry with side Ziall & Ziam & squinty!Zarry. And Louis doesn’t talk not once, oops, but he’s there.
> 
> also found [here](http://shipslostatsea.tumblr.com/post/28963745806/niall-centric-narry-ziall-oneshot)

They were a really weird group of friends. It didn’t make sense; the five of them shouldn’t get along as well as they do. They weren’t even sure how they met, but it’s been a silent yet mutual agreement that it’s definitely 100% Zayn’s fault.

-

_Then_

If you were to ask Niall though, he'd tell you that he had actually known Zayn the longest. They were young when they met, like 13 or 14, and Niall was on winter holiday with his family in London.

Zayn was out shopping with his parents not really wanting to be there, but glad to be out of the house. He was doing that thing he did every so often where he essentially people watched, but then he found himself transfixed on one person in general. He was a young boy, about his age and he couldn’t keep his eyes off him. So Zayn decided that he really liked the pale boy with tufts of brown hair sticking out from under his trapper hat. He had these big blue eyes that were staring forlornly at Zayn from across the shop, but were suddenly turned in the opposite direction, half shut when Zayn sidled over to him.

But then again if you were to ask Niall, he'd say he was never actually staring at Zayn. He'd say that he was wondering why in the world Zayn was staring at _him_ , and when he trotted up to him and started rattling off about Niall’s eyes being oceans and how he was the sun and Zayn was the moon, Niall had concluded that Zayn was in fact off his rocker.

Which is why to this day he still isn’t sure why Zayn left the shop with Niall's number in his pocket and a promise that their paths would someday cross again, and yeah that kid was totally a space case.

-

It was two years later when Zayn was introducing Niall to a tall, plain looking guy with maybe a bit of an under bite and a great smile.

His name was Liam and Niall wondered where on Earth Zayn found this boy.

He had swoopy brown hair ( _like Justin Bieber_ , Niall thought) and brown eyes to match and he quickly learned that Liam had a great singing voice and an even better personality. “Is this a joke?” Niall cut Liam off when he was rambling on about parallels in Disney movies.

Liam looked at him questioningly from his perch on the grass next to Zayn.

It was a fairly warm summer day and Niall who was visiting his aunt during break between terms had gotten a text from Zayn for them to meet in the park. Little did he know, Liam would show up with Zayn, hand in hand, giggling about something and Zayn just introduced them and flopped onto the grass. Niall had just nodded at the boy and sat cross-legged across from Zayn, Liam following suit.

“I just mean, I don’t understand this,” Niall waved his hands between Zayn, who was now laying with his head in Liam’s lap, and Liam who was running his fingers through the hair laid across Zayn’s forehead. “Are you two dating?”

“What?” Liam seemed scandalized, “No, we just met like a week ago.”

“And what is dating anyway?” Zayn started and Niall couldn’t help but roll his eyes because he knew where that was going. “It’s a vague term. Something people stamp on a relationship to make it seem like they’re superior to others when in actuality I feel like the three of us share a bond that no other pair or group of people could ever penetrate or measure up to.”

“But you’ve just met Liam a week ago, and I’ve just met him—” Niall glanced at his phone, “about fifteen minutes ago.”

“It only takes one-fifth of a second to fall in love, Niall.”

Liam nodded fervently like Zayn had just made all the sense in the world.

“But we aren’t in love, Zayn.”

“Exactly.”

-

“You have _such_ a way with words,” a bottle blonde with tons of makeup and a nice rack was leaning over the counter to talk to Zayn.

They had went out for coffee and Zayn insisted that he pay but the barista was dead set on _not_ letting him pay at all and Niall just wanted his damn frappuccino.

Liam was sat opposite the table Niall sat at, nodding and mentally taking notes on how to pick up a girl and Niall was rolling his eyes huffing loudly hoping it’d get Zayn’s attention.

There was a line of impatient customers shooting death glares at Zayn queued up behind him and Niall stomped over to the register slapped down the required amount of money and pulled Zayn over to their table.

“What was that for?” Liam’s brows were furrowed as if he’s the one that just got pulled away from the girl. “She was really hot.”

“Yeah well, she was also really annoying.” Niall turned to Zayn, “Were you really into her?”

Zayn shrugged absentmindedly, but shots a smile over to the barista who was very obviously side-eyeing him from across the café.

When their names were finally called Niall grabbed his drink and made up and excuse to why he had to leave immediately.

He headed straight to the store and picked up the first box of blonde hair dye he could find.

That night he went to sleep with bleached fingers the smell of chemicals wafting through his nose as he smiled contently.

He couldn’t wait to show Zayn.

“You look so great,” Zayn was running his fingers through bright blonde hair, “I mean you looked great before as well, you’ll always be beautiful to me.”

But then Liam came traipsing in with his hair all scruffy and Niall pretended that he didn’t see the blonde streaks or the way Zayn’s face lit up when he walked into Zayn's room.

-

“What happened to our impenetrable bond of solitude or whatever?” Niall was on the phone with Zayn trying but failing to actually get some homework done before class the next day.

“It’s still there, we’ve just widened it, you know?” Zayn voice sounded light and distant through the receiver.

“Are you high?” Niall sighed and pushed his textbooks away from his initial line of sight. “Like I get it, you’re a weirdo, but you sound like a complete tosser right now.”

Zayn burst out into a fit of chuckles and Niall wanted to be angry, but he was kinda just content sitting there and listening to his friend laugh. When Zayn's laughter subsided though he asked, “How did you meet this Harry guy anyway?”

“I was out in town with Liam,” Zayn started, “and Liam went to the loo and I was just standing there having a smoke when Harry comes up to me and asks if I’d like a piece of gum. So naturally, I ask why he asks me of all people and then he just says, ‘You look like someone who needs a piece of gum,’ and so I took the gum and then I gave him my number and he’s quite the charmer actually.”

“Is that so?” Niall was past confused and completely unimpressed. “So your first thought isn’t to like, I dunno, be offended that this stranger says you need some gum, but to hand him your number?”

“He didn’t mean it like that, Niall.”

“So that’s how this guy makes a pass at you then?”

Zayn sighs and then Niall felt like an asshole.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, “It’s just weird, you know.” And he could just imagine Zayn nodding on the other line, “Plus, I really miss you, mate.”

“Don’t worry Nialler, we’ll be together next year for uni.” Zayn’s tried reassuring him, “Me, you, Li, and Harry.”

“ _Harry?_ ”

“Yeah, he’s a smart bloke, ahead of his class actually. Good to have around.”

“Right,” Niall was gathering up his textbooks to move them over to his desk, “I’ll be off now ‘cause if I don’t get this work done you three’ll have to cope at uni without me.”

“Sure thing Niall,” and then Zayn’s mumbling something about stars aligning or prophecies written in stone or something, Niall didn’t really know because he was engrossed in his books and Zayn hung up with a  quick, “’Night babe.”

And it’s already too late but Niall mutters, “G’nite Z,” into the phone still pressed between his ear and shoulder.

-

_Now_

The four of them, Niall, Zayn, Liam, and Harry end up rooming off campus with some older guy named Louis. It’s his second year there and his parents are well off enough to pay for a nice flat that’s close to school that he gladly opens his doors for the four of them.

Apparently he had met Zayn at some sort of school function, and Zayn (like he does with everyone) charms the pants off this guy and somehow gets him to allow all of five them to be cramped into a two bedroom flat.

Niall was upset at first, because he ended up rooming with Harry.

It’s not that he didn’t like Harry.

He was a nice guy. Tall and slim, all long limbs and even longer sentences. He had curly hair and pretty eyes and a vocabulary that almost challenged Zayn’s.

He didn’t know much about Harry except for that he snorted when he laughed and he had a habit of doing everything incredibly slowly, even when he was excited. He knew Harry had an older sister named Gemma and that he was an Aquarius, “The water bearer,” Zayn had once commented while petting Harry’s head affectionately and Niall had frowned because, _who cares?_

But now he also knows that Harry snores in his sleep and he has a habit of climbing into bed with Niall and, “What are you doing?” he asks the first night it happens when Harry’s breath is hot on the back of his neck.

“I think…” Harry trails off, “I may like Zayn.”

“Everyone likes Zayn,” Niall’s rolling his eyes and reaching back to push Harry out of his bed.

“No I mean _like_ like.” Harry says and all movements cease.

“Yeah I knew what you meant,” he flips over so he’s facing Harry now, “Zayn just has this thing to him where you can’t help but fall in love with him. It’s bloody annoying, but everyone eventually falls victim to it.”

“I think he likes Liam,” Harry’s fitting his face into the crook of Niall’s neck and _wow boundaries_. “They sleep together every night.”

“There’s only four beds, Harry, and five of us.”

“I know but,” he shrugs and Niall finds himself squeezing Harry’s shoulder, “what about us?”

“I chose not to sleep with Zayn.”

“Why not?”

“He smokes right before he goes to bed so it just lingers and he has terrible night tremors and he sleeps like a wild animal and there are tons of reasons really.”

“Those don’t seem too bad,”

“He also sometimes talks in his sleep and he likes to grab onto you and—” Niall doesn’t even finish because Harry is snoring and still clinging onto him and Niall really just wants him to _move_ , but he seems so peaceful so he just sighs and lays there and counts every one of Harry’s eyelashes.

He counts 384 all together and buries his head into curly hair for the rest of the night.

-

He wakes up to Zayn cooing about how cute they are, Harry still curled up on his side and basically purring and tells himself that's the last time he'll let Harry sleep with him.

(Except that he still does, but Niall makes sure he gets Harry up and in his own bed before Zayn can catch them.)

-

Louis and Liam thought it’d be a great idea to throw a party at their flat.

So they did, and just as Niall imagined, it's a terrible idea.

There's shit everywhere.

People are strewn about along with garbage and dirt and Niall thinks he may have seen a few stray cats meddling in the toilets, but if he does he ignores it and pushes his way back out to where the majority of the people who aren’t dead to the world are.

Both Louis and Liam are paying beer pong, with Louis losing terribly and “Okay there are definitely animals here,” Niall mumbles to himself because Harry is on the floor stroking a cat, screaming over the loud music to be heard.

He finds Zayn in a corner chatting some girl up, a blonde, he notes once again and hovers in closer so he’s in hearing distance but can’t be seen.

“—like your aura is off the charts right now.” He’s caressing the girls palm as she giggles madly, and _does that really work?_

And Niall realizes that Zayn literally has the worst pick-up lines and he’s got no game at all, like flirting is a mysterious art to him, yet he manages to get more numbers than the five of them combined that night.

Given Niall wasn’t actually trying, he was more into observing and he tries to act like it doesn’t bother him that Zayn’s practically out every night for the next two weeks with a new girl on his arm as each day passes even though it does.

“At least he has the decency not to bring them back!” he’s pacing back in forth in his and Harry’s shared room.

Harry nods, but isn’t really paying attention because he’s too busy playing with the cat he decided to adopt a few weeks ago which he named ‘Socks’ because, “Look Niall, she’s got cute little white paws! And they look like socks!”

Niall stops pacing and turns to glare at his friend. ( _yeah we’re friends now_ , he thinks because they do basically sleep together every night but, “No Harry, the cat cannot sleep in my bed,” he’ll protest, “but you can always sleep in your own bed.” Harry whines and begs, but Niall doesn’t budge and somehow he still wakes up with Harry on his side and Socks on his face and he’d be angry, really, but he never really does anything about it.)

“But Louis!” Niall continues on his rant picking up his pacing, “He brings that girl here all the time, that _Eleanor_!”

“That’s his girlfriend,” Harry notes, “plus Zayn couldn’t bring them home if he wanted to, he shares a bed with Liam. Remember?”

Niall nods and flops down next to Harry, absentmindedly petting Socks.

He isn’t mad at Louis, or his girlfriend. Mostly he's just mad at Zayn for going out with different girls and never spending time with him or Harry or Liam anymore.

And they're really pretty girls too.

Girls that he thought Zayn didn’t deserve because he’s _Zayn_ and although he beautiful he’s still weird and he talks in metaphors and that’s annoying. _He_  is annoying and how has he been friends with him all these years? He’s kind of an asshole.

Zayn's kind of an asshole.

“Yeah he’s definitely an asshole,” Niall is thinking out loud now.

“Who?” Harry’s face is scrunched up in confusing, “Louis?”

“No. Zayn,” and now Niall is not thinking at all.

“How?”

“He’s so inconsiderate.” Niall starts, his inner word diarrhea spouting out, “Like he just meets you one day and pulls you in and basically forces you to be his friend and dedicates all his time to you and acts like you’re so fucking great but then that doesn’t last for long because someone else comes ‘round and he steals their heart and suddenly you’re on the back burner until another random person on the fucking street comes along and then you become less and less significant in his life—” he takes in a deep breath before continuing.

“Niall—”

“then suddenly one day you don’t even fucking exist anymore and he’s off dating girls that are prettier than you, despite how fucking hard you try to get his attention. All you want is for him to notice that, ‘Hey, I’m here too!’ but he doesn’t care and you can hardly sleep and you realize your life has spiraled into some fucking web of you and three other guys and a cat and the fucking douchebag that brought you all together and you want to be angry about it and you _are_ but then at the same time you aren’t.”

He’s doing that thing where he doesn’t think at all and just talks and things start getting jumbled and stop making sense and now his chest is heaving and Harry’s pulled Socks away and is staring at him like he understands whatever it is he just said even though Niall himself doesn’t.

And wow Niall realizes he loves that about Harry.

Fucking Harry is always there to just sit and listen and not judge him no matter what he says whether it’s stupid or if it makes sense or not.

And he totally gets Niall. He understands him even when Niall doesn’t understand himself.

Being the totally kind and understanding and awesome dude he is Harry just nods and pulls Niall into a tight hug, with Socks squirming between them, and he doesn’t let go until he’s sure that Niall’s had enough.

-

Zayn and Niall are out getting ice cream.

“Just the two of us,” Zayn had told him before grabbing his hand, interlocking their fingers and pulling them out of the flat into the moderately warm midday air.

Niall was surprised, but not really, he was sure Harry had something to do with this.

After his mini-breakdown yesterday Harry had held him until he woke up this morning in Harry’s bed to Socks on his chest and Harry whispering things into his hair.

Now he’s out on the town with Zayn with his full attention directed towards him. And he’s smiling at him like he used to. Like when they first met. And when a very pretty girl tries to chat Niall up, Zayn just grips his hand tighter and tugs him away, “ _My sun_ ,” he mumbles under his breath and this is all Niall's ever wanted, really.

But for some reason he isn’t happy.

He feels like this is all forced.

So when he gets back home he runs right past Liam and Louis ignoring their ‘hello’s’ and goes straight to his room, “Harry,” he addresses the boy sat at his desk, presumably doing schoolwork.

“Hmm?” he spins around his chair to face Niall, smiling lazily but falls short of a grin when he’s being tackled to the ground in a tight hug.

“Thanks,” Niall mumbles into Harry’s shirt, “for earlier, I mean. I know you talked to Zayn.”

Harry tried his best to look confused but Niall could hear the smile in his voice anyway, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Sure you don’t, but thanks anyway.” He inhales and Harry smells like cat fur and salty ocean water and strawberries and Niall kind of just wants to lay there cuddling his chest forever. But that doesn’t happen because there’s a knock on their doorframe and they both crane their heads from their positions on the floor to see who it is.

Liam is smiling tentatively at them, blushing slightly, “I uh, came to see if you were alright Niall,” he shrugs, “but I guess I’m interrupting so I’ll just go.” He turns and leaves, pulling the door closed behind him.

-

After that day Zayn made more of an effort to spend as much time as possible with Niall.

They went to the zoo ( _the fucking zoo_ ) and they’d go for walks in the park and they’d do the grocery shopping together and it was all fun and familiar, but it was Harry that Niall kept thinking about when he was with Zayn.

What was Harry doing? Did Harry do laundry? If so, did he do Niall’s too?

He always did.

Mostly Niall just thought of when he’d get back home to Harry.

It was weird. He hadn’t even liked Harry at first, now he can’t get the boy off his mind.

“Have you told him?” Zayn asks, scanning over various brands of orange juice when they're off doing some shopping.

“What?” Niall snaps back to attention.

“Harry,” he says before settling and picking up a carton and placing it in the trolley. “Have you told Harry that you like him yet?”

Niall scoffed, “What? No. I don’t like Harry.”

Zayn just glances at him and shrugs, “Okay,” and continues walking down the aisles of the grocery store.

“Wait,” Niall runs up and stands in front of him. “What makes you think I like Harry?”

“You just said you don’t.” he says and Niall looks as if he’ll strangle him right here in the middle of the store so he continues, “It’s obvious, alright?” Zayn sighs.

“But I—he I mean, we both…” Niall trails off at a loss for words.

“Like me.” Zayn finishes for him and Niall nods. “Yeah well you’re both also happily in love with one another.”

The world must have shifted beneath Niall’s feet or something because now his knees are wobbly and he’s grabbing at a shelf next to them to keep from falling. “Shit.” He mumbles.

“It’s hard you know, losing my sun and my sea to one another.”

“You haven’t lost me.” Niall says, and it’s true. He hasn’t and never will. “You’ve still got your stars and stripes or flames or whatever you call them.”

They both laugh and the cloudy mood that had settled over them is lifted in an instant.

Zayn slings an arm around Niall’s shoulder and presses a kiss to his temple, “You should tell him.” He mumbles against the hair there and leaves his arm there while they continue to shop.

-

When they get back Liam informs them that Harry has gone somewhere with Louis while the three of them put the groceries away and things get tense again.

“What’s on your mind, Niall?” Liam sits at the kitchen table once everything is put away.

Niall shakes his head, but sits across from him anyway. “It’s Harry.”

“Oh,” Liam’s eyes go wide for a second and he glances over at Zayn who is making tea. “So… you and Harry?”

“No,” Niall sighs, “not yet at least.”

Zayn comes up behind Liam and whispers something in his ear before placing a cup of tea in front of him.

“Cheers,” Liam grins up at him and Zayn smiles back, running his fingers through his hair in the process.

“What about you two?” Niall asks.

The two share a knowing look before turning to Niall seemingly expressionless. Except the crease in Liam’s brow is barely there and he looks as if he wants to say something but can’t.

Niall just nods in understanding and nearly hops out of his skin when he hears that Louis and Harry have arrived home.

“You’re back!” Harry makes a beeline straight for Niall and plops down in his lap. He doesn’t say _‘I miss you’_ even though it’s there out in the open but Niall kinda wishes he did because that would make what he’s about to do a lot easier.

Louis is leaning in the doorway and clears his throat.

“Right,” Liam mumbles and grabs Zayn with his free hand and follows Louis out into the living room.

“How was your day?” Niall asks because he has to work his way up to it, and he hasn’t seen Harry all day so he is curious.

“T’was nice.” Harry nuzzles his nose into the crook of Niall’s neck and sighs. “Yours?”

“Um… It was interesting?” Niall says it weary enough that Harry has to pull away. “Zayn and I talked.”

“About?”

“You.”

“Oh,” Harry sits back. “Ironically enough, Louis and I talked about you today as well.”

It’s Niall’s turn to sit back. “Oh,” and he feels like he’s been set up or something and he wants to go out there and tell them all off because he’s sure they’re all in on it, but Harry is on his lap looking at him expectantly, so he doesn’t.

What he does do that is reach a hand up and brush the loose curls in Harry’s face before sliding it around to the nape of his neck. _‘Just testing the waters,’_ he tells himself. And takes it as reassurance when Harry bites his lip and all but purrs underneath his touch.

“Niall,” he says and leans forward so their foreheads are touching then lets his eyes slip shut.

He still isn’t sure if this is ok but Harry is gripping at his shirt, his breath dancing between Niall’s nose and upper lip and all Niall has to do is lean up just a _tiny bit_ and—

Harry leans down and takes Niall’s top lip between his own and they both breathe a sigh of relief that neither one of them knew they were holding.

Niall moves his hand further up into Harry’s scalp and settles his other on his lower back and pulls him closer when Harry shifts so his legs are hanging on either side of him.

They stay like that for a while. Content with just kissing, everything moving slow and languidly and the way Harry fits perfectly against Niall’s chest. And how his hands keep roaming the expanse of Niall’s back. Fingertips dancing across the surface, drawing little patterns and words subconsciously.

Eventually they separate and Harry goes back to nuzzling the side of Niall’s face.

Niall huffs a laugh, because Harry reminds him a lot of Socks and, “So, are we?”

“Yeah” Harry nods into his shoulder. “Yea we are.”

-

Niall finds it ironic that Zayn decides it’s okay to start hanging all over him once he and Harry start dating. Harry doesn’t mind though, so he never says anything about it out loud.

He figures things can’t get better than they are right now.

He’s got Harry and Louis has Eleanor and Zayn essentially has them all, but first and foremost he’s got Liam.

The five of them are out to lunch. Some hole in the wall restaurant that Zayn referred them to claiming he knew the owner and no one put above him because Zayn knows _everyone_.

He’s running his fingers through Niall’s hair while they both watch as Liam, Louis, and Harry debate about which Kardashian sister is the best looking.

“What are you thinking about?” Zayn asks low enough that the conversation stays just between them.

Niall turns so he’s giving Zayn his full attention, “Us.”

“You and I?”

“I guess,” Niall nods. “All of us really, how we became _this_ ,” he gestures vaguely around the table.

“It’s fate.” Zayn says seriously and while Niall doesn’t agree he just nods, because he knows how Zayn is a firm believer in fate and how the stars align just for things like this to happen.

For friendships like this to be made.

“I love you, you know that right?” Zayn lays his head on Niall’s shoulder.

“Yeah,” Niall nods again, “yeah I do.”

He doesn’t say it back. Doesn’t need to because Zayn knows anyway, and he realizes how bad Niall has always been with his words and feelings and he turns to press a kiss on Niall’s cheek.

It lands right on the very corner of his lips and Niall suddenly feels hot all over. He’d wanted for a better part of his life for Zayn to really kiss him, for Zayn to be his, _only his_.

Now he doesn’t mind when Liam leans over the table and grabs Zayn’s hand, “Zayn please, tell them that Kim is the most attractive Kardashian.”

Zayn turns so he’s facing Liam but leans his head back on Niall’s shoulder. “I don’t know babe, they’re all pretty hot.”

Harry rolls his eyes at Zayn, but he and Niall share a glance and he has trouble hiding the smirk that takes over his face.

Niall still wants to hate Zayn for putting him through things like this. For making his heart beat irregularly and making him feel like he’s the only person in the world. For making him feel like shit, like he’s not enough, like he has to change to be appealing.

But mostly he wants to hug Zayn and give him a proper a kiss and tell him thank you.

So he does.


End file.
